Slats Murphy, Senior SCW columnist

An interesting study in human nature will take place this Monday night at Sabal Point Elementary School.

That's when Seminole School Superintendent Bill "Bojangles" Vogel will perform his song-and-dance routine for parents and families in the Sabal Point community.

For those of you who have somehow escaped the news, it is the Sabal Point community that has been at the center of the Seminole high school rezoning controversy that has dominated local conversation for the past year.

If the Sabal Point parents think the past few months have been challenging, they are possibly in for a bit of an awakening between now and the 2006 elections. 

The parents have pledged to do all they can to oust the three current members whose seats are up for election at that time.  If the elections were held today, there is no doubt their forces would be marshaled towards that goal.

But a lot can happen between now and then, as the School Board members know, and tomorrow is the start of their effort to schmooze the parents into forgiving and forgetting by the fall of 2006.

The challenge for the parents will be balancing the internal conflict that the School Board hopes to nurture within them over forgiving and forgetting all that has occurred during the rezoning battle.

Vogel's soft-shoe performance tomorrow night gives such a clear indication of such intent.  The School Board has entitled the presentation, "Working Together to meet the Challenges of Providing Quality Education in a Growing Community."

Beyond such titling, Vogel's personal comments to some of the parents have alluded to putting the rezoning in the past and working towards a more conciliatory future. 

As a result, the parents are going to find themselves placed in a position that can easily paint them as the continued black hats in this saga if they refuse to let bygones be bygones.

The School Board will assert that what has been done is done, and it is time to move on.  They will further contend that parents will be subverting the interests of their and all children if they cling to the anger and disillusionment engendered by the rezoning process. 

Thus, the School Board will say, we all have only one choice:  to join our hands together, sing Kumbaya, and make the future a wonderful journey of peace and harmony.

From the School Board point of view, such a scenario would be perfectly consistent with their belief that the parents' position has stemmed from a misunderstanding of their intent, as well as the process.

What the School Board fails to recognize, and admit, is that if such is the case, the responsibility is theirs.  Throughout the entire rezoning process, the School Board has refused to offer any explanation or satisfactory reasons for their adoption of Plan Z2.

That continues to be among the parents' chief frustration.  Admittedly, they do not understand why the School Board adopted Plan Z2, despite their asking ad infinitum for explanations that would help them to grasp the concept.

The School Board, and Dr. Vogel, have given all who asked a song-and-dance in response, speaking in verbal pirouettes.  Now, the act is ready for prime time, to be unveiled at Sabal Point Elementary School this Monday night.

The School Board will seek to place the onus for forgiving and "moving on" upon the parents.  Their efforts to do so will include a shifting of focus from what has happened in the past to where we go in the future, and what happens from here.

If the parents allow them to do so, the School Board will have escaped any responsibility and accountability for their decisions and their impact upon the lives of those they are presumed to serve.

As clear as that seems on the surface, it becomes a little less obvious when human nature transcends into behavior. 

One of the most wonderful things about the American character is our aptitude for forgiveness, and forgetting the past transgressions of others. 

It can also be one of the least wonderful things about American character, in cases where it absolves people of responsibility for their actions.

It will be an interesting study in human nature to see how the parents respond, and whether they will yield to the School Board's facile attempts at schmoozing them.